Since it's Lindsay day on WTAWorld :p I thought we could take a look back on her great career and discuss which player she had the most exciting and memorable rivalry with :) In general, most people point to her rivalries with Venus and Martina, and they've certainly had some epic encounters...

H2H with V. Williams

Davenport leads 14-13

H2H with Hingis

Davenport leads 14-11

Now that Lindsay's career is over (we're almost 100% sure now), who do you think will be regarded as her definitive rival? Venus or Martina? Or someone else maybe? And why...

DemWilliamsGulls

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:13 PM

Classic battles between her and Miss VEE...:)

Viktymise

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:19 PM

The rivalry with Vee, i think the 05 Wimbledon final snags it ;)

Ben.

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:21 PM

The classics against Martina & Venus were both entertainingly good so it's hard to decide.

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:22 PM

I went for Venus too, I'm going to miss their matches :sad:

LeRoy.

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:23 PM

Venus

Win 2005 Final :hearts:

Is that the last match that they played?

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:24 PM

Venus

Win 2005 Final :hearts:

Is that the last match that they played?

Yep :)

Lindsay's last match at Wimbledon too...

hurricanejeanne

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:24 PM

This is easy. Venus of course. The Wimbledon Final last year was just a perfect match to sum up all of their matches.

With Martina, Lindsay won a couple of big matches (ie. the slams).

And I'd like to throw in an honorary rival in Kim Clijsters too, she always gave Lindsay a rough time.

jimbo mack

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:25 PM

I have to say martina as these were the two battling for the number 1 spot between 1998-2000. I remember in 1999/2000 when they paired up against each other loadsa times in short space of time (philadephia, YEC, aus open linds won, scottsdale match cancelled, indian wells linds won, miami hingis won)

however, lindsay also had an exceptional rivalry with venus

Viktymise

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:25 PM

Venus

Win 2005 Final :hearts:

Is that the last match that they played?

yes :sad: well if you dont count the Hong Kong Exhibition match

so lindsay finishes with a winning record over Venus

Steffica Greles

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:26 PM

Venus.

When Davenport was on form, her matches with Hingis were largely one-sided contests. The score may not always have been indicative, but when Lindsay was hitting her spots, serving well and moving to the best of her ability, there was only ever going to be one winner.

Against Venus, things were much closer when Lindsay believed in herself. It was by far the better athlete against the superior groundstokes.

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:26 PM

This is easy. Venus of course. The Wimbledon Final last year was just a perfect match to sum up all of their matches.

With Martina, Lindsay won a couple of big matches (ie. the slams).

And I'd like to throw in an honorary rival in Kim Clijsters too, she always gave Lindsay a rough time.

Yeah, Clijsters was my #3, but I knew that it wasn't as good as the other two rivalries, so I didn't include it, still, many great matches between them also :worship:

Viktymise

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:28 PM

I always like the Davenport - Dementieva rivalry too, they had some great matches like the Amelie Island Final in 03 and YEC R1 in 00, and the 2nd set of the USO semi in 00 was exciting plus the tiebreak of the quaters at USO last yr was fantastic too :sad:

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:31 PM

I always like the Davenport - Dementieva rivalry too, they had some great matches like the Amelie Island Final in 03 and YEC R1 in 00, and the 2nd set of the USO semi in 00 was exciting plus the tiebreak of the quaters at USO last yr was fantastic too :sad:

I quite liked their match at the YEC '04 ;) :p

Viktymise

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:34 PM

I quite liked their match at the YEC '04 ;) :p

:p i never saw that one, although Lindsay was injured at it the RG 04 4th round is a match that is very memorable to me, LenaD often had many of her breakthrough wins against Lindsay and they were always special matches

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:36 PM

:p i never saw that one, although Lindsay was injured at it the RG 04 4th round is a match that is very memorable to me, LenaD often had many of her breakthrough wins against Lindsay and they were always special matches

Yeah, her very first title came by beating Lindsay in a tough three-setter, that'll always be a special memory for her :)

jimbo mack

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:36 PM

Don't forget the great matches agaist steffi too. they met 15 times

Martian Stacey

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:38 PM

I'd say Martina, when they were #1 and #2 in the world :D

But she had some great matches with Venus also

Mateo Mathieu

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:43 PM

The Davenport-Hingis rivalry in 1999 to 2000 was very entertaining! :hearts:

geoepee

Dec 13th, 2006, 10:57 PM

For a while, Conchita Martinez owned Davenport

but their final h2h was 9:8 in favor of Davenport....

But I think the rivalry with Venus was the greatest,...for me at least

I give the slight edge to Hingis/Davenport because of the contrast in styles. I wish they had been able to meet up a few more times in 2006, but with Lindsay's injuries :mad: Oh well, a new chapter begins!

franny

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:08 PM

Hmmmm. This was a tough one. I felt that Lindsay-Venus was a great match-up because both somewhat controlled their own destiny. Wimbledon 05 was also a great match-up. However, they never did battle for the number 1 and 2 spot that Hingis and Davenport battled for. Plus when Venus was on, it was often a straight sets victory for her. I don't know. This is a really close one to call. I chose Venus soley because of the closer head to head. I seriously could not choose. However, I still say Venus' greatest rival is not Lindsay, but Martina. Let's just say that between the three of them was a real three-way rivalry.

Since it's Lindsay day on WTAWorld :p I thought we could take a look back on her great career and discuss which player she had the most exciting and memorable rivalry with :) In general, most people point to her rivalries with Venus and Martina, and they've certainly had some epic encounters...

H2H with V. Williams

Davenport leads 14-13

H2H with Hingis

Davenport leads 14-11

Now that Lindsay's career is over (we're almost 100% sure now), who do you think will be regarded as her definitive rival? Venus or Martina? Or someone else maybe? And why...
Honestly i think she enjoyed and in fact played greater matches with Martina than against Venus. At some point the Venus-Davenport rivary got boring when Venus was at her peak and really trashed Lindsay some times, while against Martina matches were lot more of three setters and the fact that Lindsay and Martina were switching number one and number two spot from 1998-2000 made it more exciting.
Sure Wimbledon 2005 final was a classic match, but that was 1 out of 27, while Lindsay and Hingis played many many tough three setters.

spencercarlos

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:18 PM

The Davenport-Hingis rivalry in 1999 to 2000 was very entertaining! :hearts:
1997-2000, starting really from Los Angeles when Lindsay beat Martina for her second loss of the season, a rivary that was really interesting pretty much until Sydney 2001 with that 7-5 in the third set win from Martina in the final.

liuxuan

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:18 PM

I think Lindsay and Venus definately! in terms of a head 2 head rivalry. Obvously Lindsay and Martina had a greater battle for the #1 ranking, but in terms of a head 2 head face off, Venus and Lindsay contested so many semi finals and finals that were so close and that were down to which player was going to battle hardest and raise their game the most, whereas many of Lindsay and Martina's matches was down to how well or how badly Lindsay was going to play.

Plus the Wimbledon final :worship:

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:19 PM

Versus Venus - 14-13

Versus Serena - 4-11 :o

Versus Hingis - 14-11

Versus Martinez - 9-8

Versus Graf - 6-9

Versus Dementieva - 10-5

jimbo mack

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:21 PM

can someone post the match results? maybe do a copy and past job from wtatour.com :angel:

The Daviator

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:23 PM

can someone post the match results? maybe do a copy and past job from wtatour.com :angel:

You can find all the match details pretty easily here :wavey:

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/

jimbo mack

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:25 PM

You can find all the match details pretty easily here :wavey:

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/

yes that is correct but i'd thought it would be nice to have it displayed in this thread. i would do it myself, but (sigh) laptop problems

!<blocparty>!

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:30 PM

Hingis. Only because she was clearly the better player when in form. :p

-jenks-

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:45 PM

Lindsay vs. Venus no question! Truely and amazing rivalry! :worship:

MisterQ

Dec 13th, 2006, 11:57 PM

They were both excellent rivalries. And players with a long career are "allowed" to have more than one epic rivalry. :lol:

The Daviator

Dec 14th, 2006, 12:07 AM

They were both excellent rivalries. And players with a long career are "allowed" to have more than one epic rivalry. :lol:

The question is, what is her greatest rivalry - singular! :o

All players have several great rivalries...

Steffica Greles

Dec 14th, 2006, 12:21 AM

Honestly i think she enjoyed and in fact played greater matches with Martina than against Venus. At some point the Venus-Davenport rivary got boring when Venus was at her peak and really trashed Lindsay some times, while against Martina matches were lot more of three setters and the fact that Lindsay and Martina were switching number one and number two spot from 1998-2000 made it more exciting.
Sure Wimbledon 2005 final was a classic match, but that was 1 out of 27, while Lindsay and Hingis played many many tough three setters.

I agree that their rivalry was more interesting, with Martina's savvy, Lindsay's power, the juxtaposition of their physiques and what it symbolised about women's tennis at that time, with power players taking over.

And both were technically supreme. Two of the best ever hitters of a tennis ball.

But really Lindsay had too much for Martina when she was on form.

You're right that Venus destroyed Lindsay in some matches among that string of victories, but I do feel that was partly Davenport's lack of self belief. The score would have been much closer, otherwise.

RJWCapriati

Dec 14th, 2006, 12:40 AM

Venus

MisterQ

Dec 14th, 2006, 12:41 AM

The question is, what is her greatest rivalry - singular! :o

All players have several great rivalries...

I understand... no offense intended. :)

You asked: "who do you think will be regarded as her definitive rival? Venus or Martina?"

To that question, I would say, neither one is definitive. They're about equal.

If I have to choose one, I will say Hingis, partly because of the greater contrast of styles, and partly because the rivalry seemed somewhat less streaky in terms of domination by one player.

spencercarlos

Dec 14th, 2006, 12:47 AM

I agree that their rivalry was more interesting, with Martina's savvy, Lindsay's power, the juxtaposition of their physiques and what it symbolised about women's tennis at that time, with power players taking over.

And both were technically supreme. Two of the best ever hitters of a tennis ball.

But really Lindsay had too much for Martina when she was on form.

You're right that Venus destroyed Lindsay in some matches among that string of victories, but I do feel that was partly Davenport's lack of self belief. The score would have been much closer, otherwise.
Ok Lindsay dominated Martina because she had too much game when on, Hingis had nothing to do, but when Venus took over the head to head, the it was Lindsay´s lack of self belief??... hmm Very different points of view.

I agree with the first one, when Lindsay was on her game Martina suffered, but still Martina was able to make it competitive (despite in a earlier post you mentioned that the scores where closer than the matches itself :rolleyes: another way to dissmiss Martina here huh?), but you should admit that when Venus took over the head to head vs Lindsay, and while at her best Lindsay looked really silly outthere (i always felt sorry because at some point i knew Lindsay had nothing to hurt Venus at some point, because Venus will hit winners and frustrate Lindsay´s strokes by running them down), Venus would just impose her physical abitily running everyball down and hitting it as hard as Lindsay and put away easy winners. That had nothing to do with her self belief, because Lindsay could only get back on the head to head lately basically because Venus´s level dropped tremendously not near of what it was in 2000-mid 2003.

Anyway this topic has been discussed before and it was proved that Hingis-Lindsay proved to be a closer battle (lot more three set matches) than the Venus-Lindsay one.

winone23

Dec 14th, 2006, 01:59 AM

Venus

CaptnMatt

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:25 AM

I'm actually surprised that the Venus-Davenport rivalry is leading!!

I'll never forget the days of Hingis/Davenport swapping the No.1 ranking.....so many three set matches, so many finals.....such a contrast in game styles....they were an absolute pleasure to watch.

I'm not taking anything away from Venus and Davenport....that Wimbledon final last year was unbelievable.....but there were too many lop-sided (usually in favour of Venus) matches in the rivalry for me.

darrinbaker00

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:37 AM

The last two Lindsay-Venus matches (Stanford '04 final, Wimbledon '05 final) are the two best women's tennis matches I've seen so far. Hail and farewell, Mrs. Leach. :bowdown:

Pheobo

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:39 AM

I'd go with Venus.

Second would be Dementieva.

tennisIlove09

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:41 AM

Venus, just because they played each other SO many times, and its SO even 14-13 in favor of Lindsay ... however the big mathces all went Vee's way. 3-0 in Slam finals.

wisconsin2008

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:45 AM

I think the Graf/Davenport rivalry was the most significant. Steffi lead that one 9-6, but I think it was important because of the differences in their games. Afterall, Lindsay's style eventually became the dominant force in tennis in the late 90s. The Wimbledon final in 1999 was a sign of things to come in all of women's tennis.

spencercarlos

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:57 AM

I think the Graf/Davenport rivalry was the most significant. Steffi lead that one 9-6, but I think it was important because of the differences in their games. Afterall, Lindsay's style eventually became the dominant force in tennis in the late 90s. The Wimbledon final in 1999 was a sign of things to come in all of women's tennis.
Lindsay had the luxury of having to play Graf 8 times between 98 and 99, Steffi far away from her peak and near retirement and lead that time span matches 5-3. And add to that the age difference, tough to consider it an even rivary.
Lindsay had already made up her move by 97 and 98 when she first reached the number two spot and made her first grand slam semifinal at the Usopen, from then on Lindsay showed impecable consistency at the big events. Was not Wimbledon 99 the sign of things to come really :p

Andrew..

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:00 AM

Lindsay had already made up her move by 97 and 98 when she first reached the number two spot and made her first grand slam semifinal at the Usopen, from then on Lindsay showed impecable consistency at the big events. Was not Wimbledon 99 the sign of things to come really :p
Maybe. But at that point, Lindsay was looking like she could win 7+ slams. She won her next one six months later, and that was it in that department.

switz

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:06 AM

I think Davenport vs Hingis defined a period where they were clearly the dominant players but i don't think their rivalry compares to the one with Venus because there weren't so many memorable matches and it was cut short by Hingis retiring and Davenport being injured for quite a long time.

Take away that Wimbledon final and it might be a different story though

spencercarlos

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:10 AM

Maybe. But at that point, Lindsay was looking like she could win 7+ slams. She won her next one six months later, and that was it in that department.
Lindsay was clearly the best player in the world from Wimbledon 1999 to Miami 2000 final before facing Hingis. By then she seemed unvincible, no one could touch her, but look at what happened Hingis trashed her 6-3 6-2 in Miami, the injuries started to play a part and ruined probably her best ever chance at a Roland Garros in 2000 and we know what happened when the William Sisters peaked.
Not sure though if i ever imagined Lindsay winning 7+ grand slam titles, probably Hingis and the Williamses looked more promising in that department, but sure only 3 slams leaves her in a little bit underachieve status in that department.

Greenout

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:12 AM

I chose Hingis.

The Venus ones were good, but toward the latter H2H Venus had the edge. The Hingis matches could go either way, between them they owned Indian Wells.

And the fun part about the Martina -vs- LD rivalry is that it never stopped after the singles final because they've met many times in the Doubles final too. :)

spencercarlos

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:17 AM

I chose Hingis.

The Venus ones were good, but toward the latter H2H Venus had the edge. The Hingis matches could go either way, between them they owned Indian Wells.

And the fun part about the Martina -vs- LD rivalry is that it never stopped after the singles final because they've met many times in the Doubles final too. :)
Both owned Tokio PP from 1997 to 2004 and Lindsay was runner up in 2005 and Hingis in 2006 :p

Billabong

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:23 AM

Hingis-Davenport:hearts:

BTW Clijsters leads Davenport 9-8 in H2H, that's another very close rivalry;)..

MyskinaManiac

Dec 14th, 2006, 03:38 AM

The passion in the matches between Hingis and Davenport I thought was always extreme. Such contrasting styles and the battles of wills. Davenport should have always smacked Hingis off the court like she did to so many others, but against Hingis she had to play so much smarter to keep pace with a player that could hit anything back with interest. It was like a David Vs Goliath. It was a shame that neither player played any quality duals at the slams - the best I saw would have been the 98' US final, and seriously Hingis was caught way off guard. I think on the whole, her rivavly with the Williams sisters was always quality viewing.

hingisGOAT

Dec 14th, 2006, 07:29 AM

i would like to point out that before wimbledon 2005, venus and lindsay were notorious for playing very ugly, error-filled matches.

and wimby 2005 was error-tennis, too

her matches with hingis, however, were notorious for their exceptionally high quality. and hingis, by the way, was never "powerless" or "dominated" by lindsay, and i'll leave it at that because i don't want to rain on her retirement parade

PLP

Dec 14th, 2006, 07:29 AM

Both owned Tokio PP from 1997 to 2004 and Lindsay was runner up in 2005 and Hingis in 2006 :p

:worship:

schris

Dec 14th, 2006, 09:31 AM

Martina

Lindsayfan32

Dec 14th, 2006, 10:23 AM

I would say there are arguments for both Martina and Venus. Martina and Lindsay's matches were competive most of the time but you pretty much knew Lindsay would over power Martina in the end. With Venus it when in stop starts for want of better term. Lindsay dominated Venus for the first part of their rivalry then Venus dominated the middle part and then towards the end Lindsay dominated expect for the Wimbledon final of 05 the best women's tennis match I've ever seen. So they were different rivalries that had different qualities and characteristics but they were both good in their own way.

supergrunt

Dec 14th, 2006, 11:10 AM

I would say there are arguments for both Martina and Venus. Martina and Lindsay's matches were competive most of the time but you pretty much knew Lindsay would over power Martina in the end. With Venus it when in stop starts for want of better term. Lindsay dominated Venus for the first part of their rivalry then Venus dominated the middle part and then towards the end Lindsay dominated expect for the Wimbledon final of 05 the best women's tennis match I've ever seen. So they were different rivalries that had different qualities and characteristics but they were both good in their own way.

Nicely put :D !

Farina Elia Fan

Dec 14th, 2006, 11:20 AM

for its its Davenport V Hingis at the end of the last century (god that makes me feel old) these two had such different styles of tennis and it was a joy to watch.

TomTennis

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:30 PM

deffo Venus!

Its a bit sad that the rivalry didnt finish at 14-14. That would have bin a nice way to end it, but that Wimby 2005 final being their last match definetly sums their fantastic careers up! :worship:

Davy sure will be missed :sad:

TomTennis

Dec 14th, 2006, 02:34 PM

i would like to point out that before wimbledon 2005, venus and lindsay were notorious for playing very ugly, error-filled matches.

and wimby 2005 was error-tennis, too

her matches with hingis, however, were notorious for their exceptionally high quality. and hingis, by the way, was never "powerless" or "dominated" by lindsay, and i'll leave it at that because i don't want to rain on her retirement parade

didnt both Dav and Vee end the match with more winners than errors ?? So not that much of an error fest really, the big and most important points were all won with great play.

Justine Fan

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:14 PM

Yeah, Clijsters was my #3, but I knew that it wasn't as good as the other two rivalries, so I didn't include it, still, many great matches between them also :worship:

In the latter stages, wasn't JHH a rival? :devil:

The Daviator

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:16 PM

In the latter stages, wasn't JHH a rival? :devil:

No, JHH was a bloody nuisance :haha:

The Dawntreader

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:17 PM

Venus for sure, gave Lindsay such intensity in their matches i feel. Lindsay always treated Venus like she was facing her in a major final. Seems rather ironic that she never beat her in a Slam final:lol:

Yeah venus and Lindsay, the great american rivalry:worship:

Justine Fan

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:31 PM

No, JHH was a bloody nuisance :haha:

:haha: :haha: Good one! :devil: :devil:

hurricanejeanne

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:35 PM

No, JHH was a bloody nuisance :haha:

Took the words right out of my mouth. :lol:

But hey, look at it this way, we won't have to suffer through anymore of Lindsay mental issues with Justine!:D

Lindsay and Venus played eachother 27 times. All of them are memorable.

Highlandman

Dec 14th, 2006, 04:38 PM

Venus:kiss:

mc8114

Dec 14th, 2006, 05:13 PM

Martina :D

vwfan

Dec 14th, 2006, 05:55 PM

No, JHH was a bloody nuisance :haha::lol: :lol: :lol:

vwfan

Dec 14th, 2006, 05:57 PM

Well, I say Venus just because both she and Linds are my two favs! Loved their matches and Wimbledon QF 2003 and Final 2005 were two of the best matches I've had the pleasure to watch.

*Jool*

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:04 PM

I'd pick Hingis because they fought for n°1 spot often

But Venus-Lindsay was indeed a great rivalry too

shirley

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:09 PM

martina. I always enjoyed watching those matches :)

serenafan08

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:10 PM

I would pick Hingis, just because they actually went back and forth. With Lindsay/Venus, it went through periods where one player dominated the rivalry - first Lindsay, then Venus, and then Lindsay toward the latter stage of her career. With Lindsay/Hingis, they went back and forth - and the quality was so great. I felt there was more tension with Lindsay/Martina than Lindsay/Venus.

No.1Hingis

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:13 PM

With Marti of course.. we'll miss you so much Lindsay...

Congrats for your baby!! ..

Drake1980

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:15 PM

Hingis!!

Vlover

Dec 14th, 2006, 06:57 PM

didnt both Dav and Vee end the match with more winners than errors ?? So not that much of an error fest really, the big and most important points were all won with great play.

Disregard his comments because he's just a notorious Venus hater seeking attention.:tape:

P_Fer

Dec 14th, 2006, 07:01 PM

I voted for Martina, but I meant to vote for Venus.
Lindsay and LenaD have also had some great matches over ther years.
I think Linday and Maria could have developed a great rivalry if they had faced each other more

HenryMag.

Dec 14th, 2006, 09:14 PM

Venus

new-york

Dec 14th, 2006, 09:55 PM

both are enjoyable.

contrasting styles with Marti, power battle vs Venus.

basically ===================> :awww:

Nicolás89

Dec 14th, 2006, 10:10 PM

i think the martina -lindsay rivalry was more ejoyable cause both lindsay and martina were fighting and fighting for the number one spot again and again

I know that Serena OWNS the H2H, but I'd wanna throw her in there, for some of their great battles, including the BEST USO QF match I've EVER seen 2001 USO QF! :worship:
Tina/Lindsay met at the Usopen 1998 Final